The Energy Bulletin: In the news March 2017

This month, news of where spending will be dedicated was announced in the Spring Budget, and a new milestone was met for UK renewables.

There was also news of a large-scale smart meter deadline being missed, and a new appointment to the Climate Change Committee– keep reading to discover the biggest energy market headlines from March 2017.

Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered the last Spring Budget this month, with a few light touches on energy industry updates.

The Levy Control Framework is to be scrapped and replaced, with details of the replacement to be filled out later this year, and further commitment has been made to protecting consumers of the retail market with a green paper forthcoming.

The Treasury also announced that from 2020-21 a total carbon price would be targeted and a specific tax rate set at a later date. This and more was announced in the statement in relation to the energy industry – click above for a full debrief.

On the domestic side, many energy suppliers have missed a smart meter-related deadline that was designed to protect consumers from being hit by unexpected bills.

A pledge was made that, by the end of 2016, domestic suppliers would cut back on sending backdated or ‘catchup’ bills that were inaccurately calculated through smart meter fault – reducing the limit for back-bills from 12 months to six months. However, not one of the big six managed to meet this target, alongside ‘dozens’ of smaller suppliers.

The final weekend of March saw the first of the good weather, and the changing of the seasons isn’t the only thing to be positive about.

According to this report by the Guardian, solar power produced six times more electricity than coal on Saturday 25th of March. This has driven expectations that the summer months could see renewable energy come into its own, with fossil fuels contributing as little as 15% of the UK’s power.

The news was deemed a “huge milestone” by the National Grid. You can read the full story by following the above link.

At 8.30pm, 187 countries around the world went dark – more than 3100 landmarks, including the London Eye, Tower Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, switched off their lights

Earth Hour is a collective movement which sees millions of people across the globe come together for one hour, switching off lights around the world to raise awareness of climate change. The movement has contributed to renewable energy and environmental initiatives across the world.